As reported in an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, making 100 million disposable plastic shopping bags requires 430,000 gallons of oil. That’s about half a gallon per bag!

I know, I know, you say using cloth bags makes you look silly, frustrates customers behind you in the queue and irks the clerks. But, c’mon! You’re smarter and better than that. Don’t let those reasons dissuade you from making a difference, at the pump and for the environment.

I got a great deal for ACME bags at ReusableBags.com.

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A $122 million bridge, spanning from Lake Dallas to Lakewood Village, is halfway done. The large undertaking will slice commute times, improve access to destinations on both sides and become a symbol of the region. Read all about this massive project on neighborsgo.com.

By the numbers
According to the North Texas Toll Authority, as reported by Jay Parsons of The Dallas Morning News:

∙ The bridge spans 1.7 miles

∙ Construction began October 2006

∙ Estimate opening date is July 2009

∙ 30 minutes: Estimated driving time saved by bridge

∙ 242: Number of support beams drilled into the lakebed

∙ 50 to 135 feet: Length of beams

∙ 60 feet: Length of pillars connecting beams to bridge platform

∙ 52 feet: Clearance from average water level to bridge

∙ 118 feet: Height of the bridge’s center archway above the water

∙ $122 million: Project budget

More on the bridge
∙ Dallas Morning News reporter Jay Parsons writes about the milestone for the toll bridge
∙ North Texas Tollway Authority animation of how the Lewisville Lake toll bridge will look when it opens in July 2009.

More on neighborsgo.com
∙ Keep up with the latest area road repairs, trouble spots and more at Crosstown Traffic 2.0

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A lot is going on in and around the State Highway 121 corridor. The North Texas Tollway Authority has the details.

Ever since the price of unleaded hit the $3.50 range, I've been trying to fool myself into thinking that gas hasn't really gone up. I've put in $20 at a time. But now that I have to stop at a gas station every other day, I'm getting wise to myself. Then this morning, I bit the bullet and filled the tank on my little Scion TC. It was nearly $50. I realize that SUVs and monster pickups see that kind of gas tab nearly every other day. It made me wonder whether anyone has changed their tank-filling habits. Let us know at this survey.

If you had a snag getting into downtown Dallas on northbound Interstate 35E and State Highway 67 this morning, it was because of a wreck that blocked the two left lanes. Hopefully no one was injured. If nothing else, it gave me a good chance to admire the downtown skyline and check out the big giraffe statue in front of the Dallas Zoo.

The billboard of Danica Patrick in a bikini on the Tollway reminds me of Nigel Tufnel's classic response in Spinal Tap to objections that the band's album cover is sexist. "What's wrong with being sexy?"

Questions/comments?

Here's a shot of some nice clouds on the way to Abilene.
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$129 a barrel.

Where's my engine that converts H2O to hydrogen and oxygen, two really combustible gases?

Where's my motor that runs off garbage?

Where's the project to drill for oil on the moon? Or Venus? I bet there's a ton of oil on Venus! Think about all that rotting matter, turning into oil over the eons. Let's go!

$129 a barrel. Ugh...

What do we do? Where can we go? What's next and what more will we have to deal with?

Will anyone come to save us? Is there a plan to get out of this mess? Electric cars, hybrids, ethanol and all those other pipe dreams are wasting time. We need real solutions. Real solutions are more oil!

Watch your back, Alaska. Just you watch it... 

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How has rising gas prices caused you to change your behavior at the pump? Do you only put in $20 at a time? Do you ignore the price and stare at the ground until the tank is full? Take your mind off the pump and take our survey.

I know a lot of us commute long distances to get to work from home.

I clock in 32 miles one way.

"Waa waa, ya little baby! Try 78 and then you can complain," you say.

Or, "It's not the distance, it's the time spent sitting still."

It's not and I'm going to christen my commute, thanks to an early Modest Mouse album title, "This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About."

 

I've tried imagining that past-presidents, long dead, are riding with me and I'll try to explain the flotsom and jetsom of modern technology. 

Quit looking at me that way...

Anyway, what're your thoughts on commutes? Is it a time versus distance debate? Don't even try to bring gas prices into this one, that's my one rule. We all know the arguments there.

I want esoteric rhetoric here. Far out ideas on what it means to navigate an automobile in this Metroplex are the target.

Good luck. 

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